Sartell man arrested following Stearns County pursuit and crash

St. Cloud, Minn. (KNSI) – A Sartell man is facing charges after allegedly leading police on a mile-long high-speed chase in Stearns County.

The sheriff’s office says a deputy spotted the 45-year-old in a white Dodge Ram pickup heading north on County Road 1 near 4th Street North in Sartell around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The deputy says they saw the truck cross the fog line multiple times and drive halfway off the road.

The deputy attempted a traffic stop and was concerned the driver could be impaired, but the driver failed to pull over and took off. 

During the pursuit, the deputy said speeds reached 100 MPH while he was trying to catch the vehicle. 

After a mile pursuit, the truck lost control, rolled several times and crashed near the intersection of County Road 1 and Coneflower Lane in Le Sauk Township.

The driver told deputies they was not hurt and they were the only person in the truck. 

Firefighters had to extricate the suspect from the vehicle and they were taken to CentraCare in St. Cloud to be evaluated for injuries.

After being cleared, the suspect was booked into the Stearns County Jail on charges of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle and third-degree DWI. 

Story by Jake Judd / KNSI